Monogram attachment



sept.. 1s, 1942. M. @ERNQW 2,296,022

MONOGRAM ATTACHMENT Filed lay 16, 1959 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to monogram or initial plates, the initial elements of which are to be selectively introduced as required, by the sales person in the retail store.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a plate ofthe above type, made up of a minimum number of parts and of correspondingly low cost, in which the initials or other emblems may be readily affixed without the need for any high order of skill and when once affixed, remain securely in place without likelihood of shifting or loss and afford the appearance of costly integral hand-made initial or escutcheon plates.

AAnother object is to provide an initial device of the above type, which lends itself readily to the installation of the open initial frame to wallets or other articles priorV to delivery thereof to the retailer, and affords facilities for the ready application and permanent attachment of the selected initial units by the retail sales person to such lopen pre-affixed frame, as required.

Another object is to provide an initial plate of thel above type, in which the permanent attachment of the initial units to the pre-ailixed frame may be readily effected by appropriate tools and without the danger of smudging, scratching or otherwise injuring the wallet in the course of that operation.

A feature of the invention is the open, preferably rectangular initial frame, which presents upper and lower eountersunk ledges that are notched or interrupted to accommodate or position corresponding prongs at the upper and lower ends of the respective initial units to be aixed. The prongs, when bent outward and upward against theunder face of the frame are thussecurely fixed.

Another feature is the method of assembly of the initial units to the frame, in which the frame is securely mounted, the units are correctly laid in position therein and an appropriate tool is introduced between the' mount and the frame to force the prongs on the initial units outward and upward against theunder face of the frame.

Where the frame is pre-affixed to a wallet or the like, it is desirable to have a sheet of Cellophane or the like interposed between the frame and the wallet by the manufacturer of the latter, which serves to protect the wallet from being scratched when the clenching tool is interposed between the wallet and the frame for bending the initial prongs outward and upward.

In the accompanying drawing in Which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the initial frame,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the frame,

Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal cross-section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of one of the initial units,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the frame with the initial units installed therein,

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a rear perspective view of. the frame as installed upon the leather front of a wallet or the like,

Fig. 9 is a perspective view on a small scale, illustrating the application of the open frame to a wallet prior to insertion of any initials there- 1n,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the application of a clenching tool between the frame and the wallet,

Fig. 11 is a view on a larger scale illustrating the operation of the clenching tool of the embodiment shown in Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 is a view in transverse cross-section taken on the line I 2-l 2 of Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line |3-l3 of Fig. 12,

l Fig. 14 is' a perspective view illustrating the use of an alternative form of clenching tool for aiiixing the initial units to the frame,

Fig. 15 is a sectional view on a larger scale more clearly showing the operation of the too in the embodiment of and taken on line |5-I5 of Fig. 15.

Referring now to Figs. l to 'l of the drawing, there is shown a generally rectangular beveled open frame 2U having unitary prongs 2| at the middles of opposite end beams 22 thereof, which serve to ax the frame to a wallet or the like when said prongs are clenched over as best shown in Fig. 8. The frame has inwardly extending flanges along the edges of the upper and lower beams 23 thereof. These flanges are interrupted to present spacing segments 24 and 25 of greater width defining the gap between two consecutive initial units and each of the three sections determined by said spacing segments is further sub-divided to present three equidistant preferably rectangular notches 26 of lesser width. .The notches 26 are intended to accommodate rearwardly turned prongs 21 on the upper and lower edges of initial units 28, one of which is shown inFg. 5.

It will readily be seen that the provision of three notches for each of the segments of the supporting ledge determined by spacer segments 24 and 25 affords mounting instrumentalities for the prongs on each of the letters of the alphabet. The letter R as illustratively shown, would preferably have two prongs for each of the upper and lower ends thereof, while such characters as the character L for instance, would utilize two prongs at the lower beam and only one prong would be accommodated by the extreme left notch 2t in the upper supporting flange.

The initial units being placed in the frame, they may be permanently aflixed thereto as best shown in Fig. '7, by clenching the same outwardly against the under face of the frame 23 as at 29, so that the respective initial units are securely retained in position at the notches 2t, the interrupted flanges preventing the initials from falling inward and the out-turned prongs preventing them from moving outward. Preferably, the initial units are cylindrically formed at their forward faces to conform to the general design of the beveled frame.

In Figs. 9 to 13 is shown a mode of applying and permanently aflixing the initial units with respect to a frame that has been pre-aiixed to a wallet or the like by the manufacturer of the latter. A sheet 3i? of Cellophane or the like as shown in Figs. 9 and 1l is preferably interposed between the frame 2% and the wallet, which serves to protect the latter from being scratched or injured by the tool now to be described, used by the sales person in the retail store for clenching the selected initial units in place.

According to the invention in one embodiment, the tool 3l comprises a thin sheet'steel bar which is bifurcated as at 32 to afford two prongs 33. Preferably the ends of prongs 33 have out-turned toes 34 which are manually pressed together for introduction of the thin tool between the wallet (or the Cellophane sheet covering thereof), and the frame 2%, to extend longitudinally of thelatter. These thus snap outwardly as soon as they have been pushed beyond the right end of the frame as shown in Fig. ll. The bifurcation straddles the mounting prongs 2l of the frame to guide the tool in position so that it protrudes beyond the right end of the frame. The selected initial units 28 are now preferably positioned in the frame by means of suitable tweezers, with the end prongs 2 of said units positioned in the appropriate notches 26 in the flanges. The clenching tool 3| presents inclined shoulders 35 which, as shown in Fig. l1, are exposed at the left when the tool is introduced. When the tool is now pushed inward, the inclined shoulders 35 as will be readily understood, serve as cams to force the respective prongs Z1 of the initial units successively outward against the under face of the frame. The tool also has a pair of embossments 36 andI Sl beyond the respective inclined shoulders, which as is readily understood, will ride over the faces of t1 e prongs El, after the latter have been bent over by the inclined shoulders 35 and press them home. The tool may be pushed back and forth several times to assure pressing the prongs firmly against the under face of the frame, whereupon the tool is withdrawn. The Cellophane sheet 3 which is preferably longitudinally slit as at 49 is now readily removed from between the frame and the wallet and the application is thus completed.

As shown, the rear of the frame 20 is preferably countersunk as at 33 presenting a thin rim 39, which will accommodate the thickness of the respective outturned prongs 21 on the initial units, so that the edge of the frame 20 will not e spaced by said prongs from the wallet or other carrying structure.

It is of course understood that where the frame is not ,pre-affixed to the wallet, it is possible to apply the same at its prongs to a corresponding longitudinal groove of a mounting block and to utilize the tool and apply the initial umts to the frame substantially as described, whereupon the frame with its initials permanently clenched thereto may be aXed to the wallet in the retail store in familiar manner.

In Fig. 14 is shown a modified embodiment of clenching tool. The tool involves a steel wire affording a shank 4l with a handle loop 42 at one end and is flattened at its working end at 43, with its forward extremity slightly bent upward as at 44 and with a rectangular aperture 45 formed slightly in front of edge 44.

In use, it will be readily understood that the forward edge 44 of the tool is inserted between the frame and the wallet or the like, so that the individual prong 2l of the initial protrudes into the rectangular aperture 45. In this insertion, it is possible that the prong may be bent inward somewhat. This, however, is of no consequence, for, in the process of pulling the tool out, the edge 4S of aperture 45 engages the prong 21 and draws the same upward and outward against the underface of the frame 20 and thereby clenches it in place. Throughout this operation the handle loop 42 is kept in contact with the counter or table on which the wallet is laid, so that-there is no likelihood of prying the frame loose from the wallet. Y

The tool 4l is preferably of width only slightly greater than that of the individual prong 21, and of course must be introduced and pulled out as many times as there are prongs to be clenched.

As many changes -could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new an-d desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An initial plate for a wallet or the like, comprising a generally rectangular frame having flanges extending inwardly therefrom, said anges being interrupted to afford positioning notches for prongs at the tops and bottoms of initial units to be selectively accommodated in the frame, and to afford predetermined spaces between successive such units, initial units each having prongs protruding from the upper and lower ends thereof fitted in corresponding such notches, said prongs being out-turned under and against the lower face of the frame, each flange being so interrupted as to afford three sets of equidistant generally rectangular notches, the flange portions between successive sets of notches being wider than the flange segments between successive notches of each set, and the number and location of the prongs of each character being rco-ordinated with such notches.

2. An initial plate for a wallet or the like, comprising a generally rectangular frame having flanges extending inward therefrom, said flanges being interrupted to afford .positioning notches completely therethrough for the tops and bottoms of initial runits, and to afford predetermined spaces between successive units to be accommodated in the frame, initial units each having prongs protruding from the upper and lower ends thereof, fitted into and extending through corresponding such notches, said prongs being outturned .under and against the lower face of the frame, the bottom of the frame being countersunk to afford a supporting rim and to accommodate the thickness of the tial units within said rim.

prongs of the respective inil5 3. As an article of manufacture, a wallet or the like, having an open rigid initial carrying frame With median lateral prongs clenched therethrough, said fframe having upper and lower interrupted ledges for lodging at the interruptions thereof, end .prongs on initial units to be selectively held in place therein, -a thin protective sheet of "C`ellophane or the like, interposed between the frame and the wallet, to protect the latter against injury from a tool used for clenching such initial units in place within the frame, said Cellophane sheet being longitudinally slit along the line of said frame prongs for facility of removal thereof after the initial units have been clenched to the frame.

MICHAEL CHERNOW. 

